The field of the present invention relates generally to footwear and more particularly to a system for easily interchanging ornaments and reversible, decorative straps over the top of permanently affixed straps on a shoe/sandal to achieve a wide variety of aesthetic appearances, optimal comfort, and consistent fit.
Most shoes and sandals are one fixed style with decorations and designs to enhance the beauty of the shoe, but they are permanently attached to the shoe and cannot be changed. The typical fashion-conscious individual enjoys coordinating footwear with their outfits, however, most people cannot afford to buy a different pair of shoes to match every outfit. Additionally, storing and/or traveling with many pairs of shoes is difficult for the average person.
The present invention provides a shoe/sandal that meets the fashion needs of a wearer who desires to achieve many different looks inexpensively, to travel with many footwear options, and who doesn't desire to take up a lot of closet and suitcase space with several individual pairs of shoes in different colors and styles.
Prior art exists that allows the upper covering of a shoe or sandal to be changed to achieve varying styles, colors and patterns, but the time it takes to assemble and disassemble, the number of styles that can be achieved, the comfort of the interchangeable uppers, and the fit of the interchangeable uppers are compromised or limited due to their restrictive designs.
It is an advantage to a wearer to have the ability to change the upper covering of a shoe/sandal to suit their needs for variety of styling and ease of traveling with many style options as well as storing many style options efficiently. However, in our fast paced world, people don't have the time to engage in a long process that may be required to assemble and disassemble various upper coverings of a shoe/sandal as is the case with some prior art.
US 2012/0079738 A1 is referenced as it displays a complex method of weaving the decorative and binding portion of the invention through multiple openings to achieve both binding of the foot to the sole and a distinctive knotted appearance. This invention does not provide the wearer with a significantly quick method of attachment nor interchangeability. The nature of complexity with this invention also requires a learning curve in order to achieve the different knotted looks or styles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,234 B2 to Manzi and US 2012/0079738 to Alberi are referenced as they depict a singular strap that weaves through multiple openings or slots in the sole to achieve both the binding of the foot to the sole and the decorative element. These inventions suggests an above average amount of dexterity is required to achieve the desired function and look whereby a reasonable amount of speed and simplicity is not easily achieved with these designs in order to accomplish the intended function and appearance.
The advantages of being able to interchange the upper covering of a shoe/sandal are apparent in prior art, but much of the art reveals a limited number of styling options due to an upper covering's function as not only the decorative element, but as the binding force that secures the foot to the sole. As the binding force, one side of the decorative upper covering will touch the soft tissues of the foot. This limits that side to only using materials that can avoid discomfort of the foot if the upper covering is designed to be worn in a reversed position. If it is not designed to be worn in a reversed position, the wearer has only one styling choice with one interchangeable upper covering. Even if an upper covering is designed to be worn in a reversed position, the materials that can be used are limited due to both sides being exposed to soft tissues of the foot when the upper covering is used as both the decorative element and the binding force that holds the foot to the sole in either the front or reversed position. For example, if an interchangeable upper covering is reversible and has any abrasive materials on either side of the upper covering, including but not limited to sequins, chains, rhinestones, pointed studs, metal buckles, snaps, Velcro, or any other similar hard clasping device, such materials would come in contact with the soft tissues of the foot and could cause discomfort and possible abrasion to the foot due to friction created by back and forth or up and down motion of the foot when the wearer is walking or standing. Moreover, any such clasping device would not be easy to engage or properly function if it was in a reversed position. Prior art that is referenced so as to illustrate the limitations of materials used due to an upper covering functioning as both the decorative element and the binding force that holds the foot to the sole are exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,102 to DeVincentis, U.S. Pat. No. 8,661,715 B2 to Roth, U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,234 B2 to Manzi, and US 2012/0216429 A1 to Zamora/Alanis.
Prior art with designs of interchangeable upper coverings require some type of attachment device to secure the upper covering to the sole of the shoe. Strong materials such as metals and hard plastics are commonly used in attachment devices to securely hold the upper coverings in their proper position. Some prior art designs dispose attachment devices in such a way as to contact an area or areas of the foot, which can contribute to abrasion of soft tissues of the foot where contact and/or friction occurs, causing discomfort to the wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 8,250,780 B1 to Diaz, US 2012/0216429 A1 to Zamora/Alanis, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,661,715 B2 to Roth exemplify designs that create this problem. Diagrams depicting the placement of attachment devices made of hard materials disposed in such a way as to make contact with areas of the foot are clearly illustrated in the abovementioned applications. These inventions expose the wearer to the abrasion and discomfort matters described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,204 B1 to Phillips is an example of prior art utilizing a strap permanently affixed to a flip flop whereby a decorative strap is affixed to the permanent strap by utilizing the fastening function of loop-and-hook fasteners, otherwise known as Velcro. This method of engagement does protect the wearer's foot from coming in contact with the interchangeable decorative straps as well as the Velcro attachment device, and the interchangeable straps do not function as the binding force that holds the foot to the sole, much as the present invention, however, there is a limitation in the Phillips prior art that does not allow practical application of a reversible strap.
With a reversible configuration of the Phillips design, because hook and loop attachment requires one surface to expose either the hook or loop material, the design would suffer from being limited to colors or designs that are restricted to those made of hook-and-loop. In most cases the hook-and-loop would not serve to be aesthetically acceptable, as the commonly intended design of hook-and-loop fasteners is to be hidden from view when engaged in the act of fastening.
Yet, another problem created when an interchangeable upper covering is used as both the decorative element and the binding force to hold the foot to the sole is that of inconsistent fit. Because of the inconsistencies at the manufacturing stage, precise dimensions cannot be assured between one set of interchangeable uppers as compared to another set of the same, even though the advertised or labeled size is the same. Also, there will be inconsistencies in fit based on the materials used for interchangeable uppers. An example of this problem becomes apparent when using spandex or elastic type materials for interchangeable uppers as opposed to non-stretch materials such as nylons and polyesters. It becomes a challenge for the wearer to therefore obtain a consistent fit when upper coverings are made with both stretch and non-stretch materials and when the upper coverings are also used as the binding force to hold the foot onto the sole of the shoe/sandal. This limits the decorative materials prior art may use for interchangeable upper coverings.
Prior art designs, such as U.S. Pat. No. 8,661,715 B2 to Roth and U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,102 to DeVincentis limit the wearer from utilizing some of the most visually desirable fabrics due to issues arising from ill-fitting interchangeable uppers as a result of employing fabrics of variable stretch.
Throughout the course of a day, uppers that rely on manual tying of laces, ribbons, strings or rope to bind the foot to the sole exemplified in US 2012/0079738 A1 to Alberi and FIG. 4 of US 2013/0340285 A1 to Blowers, encounter the problem of loosening as the wearer goes about walking during the course of the day which will alter and compromise fit requiring the wearer to stop and re-tie to regain proper binding and fit.